Intangible Cultural Heritage
As these words were spoken, the scenery around Chen Ling gradually shattered and collapsed.
Around those apricot-red eye corners, the scene returned to reality. Chen Ling looked at ćYao Qingć's briefly bewildered eyes, and after a long moment, slowly stood up.
"It's really him," Chen Ling said.
Using these eyes, Chen Ling had pried into a corner of ćYao Qingć's "life's ćThe Scriptć." There was no method of proof more direct and convenient than this. Even if someone could casually alter their appearance or the cognition of others, a person's life experiences would not lie.
Although he had been "prying" for a long time just now, in reality, it had passed in the blink of an eye. The only flaw was... this pupil art seemed to consume a bit too much ćSpiritual Powerć.
Even just prying into an ćOrdinary Personć with no ćSpiritual Powerć whatsoever, and only a single corner of his "ćThe Scriptć" at that, Chen Ling had consumed a considerable amount of ćSpiritual Powerć. If he used this pupil art on a ćDivine Path Possessorć, the consumption would probably be even greater. But this also meant that the upper limit of this pupil art was far higher than Chen Ling had imagined.
Theoretically speaking, as long as he had enough ćSpiritual Powerć to supply it, in the future he might even be able to read an entire person's complete "ćThe Scriptć" in a single glance. With one look, he could see through the past and future of any ćThe Roleć. No ćThe Roleć would have any secrets before him.
Of course... this was currently still just Chen Ling's imagination. If he truly reached that stage, he could fully be called a conceptual "ćTheatre Godć".
Following Chen Ling's verification, ćSu Zhiweić walked straight toward ćYao Qingć on the ground, preparing to help him up. But before she could reach him, ćYao Qingć pushed off the ground with both hands and sprang to his feet with a
whoosh
.
"Sister Zhiwei, I don't think this guy is reliable." ćYao Qingć glared at Chen Ling and said aggressively, "Look at his eyes, he's obviously not a good person! And he's holding a ćBone-Stripping Knifeć like some perverted serial killer... I don't object to you finding a boyfriend, but you can't put yourself in danger!"
"He's not my boyfriend." ćSu Zhiweić said helplessly, "He's just here as a guest today."
Hearing this, ćYao Qingć froze. He sized Chen Ling up once more, then looked at ćYang Xiaoć standing in the back, and let out a long sigh of relief...
That made sense! Sister Zhiwei shouldn't like this kind of perverted, violent man.
The gloom on ćYao Qingć's face instantly dissipated. He picked up the square gift box from the side, carefully brushed off the dust on the surface, and handed it to ćSu Zhiweić. A brilliant smile blossomed on the youth's face:
"Sister Zhiwei! I brought you a gift!"
ćSu Zhiweić took the gift box and smiled slightly. "There was no need for such formality."
"I couldn't do that. Sister Zhiwei, you're a grand scientist now. It's rare for you to return to ćGusuć, so we definitely have to be a little grand." ćYao Qingć said with a grin.
"Sister Zhiwei, my ćGrandmotherć says my skills are already very high now, and I'll be able to take over soon. I spent several months embroidering this piece. It's an absolute treasure, the kind you could put straight up for auction! How about I find a place to mount it for you?"
Seeing ćYao Qingć preparing to open the door and enter the house, ćSu Zhiweić was taken aback and immediately reached out to grab him.
"ćYao Qingć, we can't go inside right now."
"Why not?" ćYao Qingć looked at her in confusion, only then noticing the hiking backpack on her back. "Sister Zhiwei, didn't you just get back? Where are you going again?"
ćSu Zhiweić opened her mouth, not knowing how to answer for a moment. After all, Chen Ling had only said they needed to flee for their lives; they hadn't actually decided where to go...
"Anywhere is fine." Chen Ling suddenly spoke up. "As long as it's far away from here, safe, and a place where we can temporarily settle down."
Hearing these words, ćYao Qingć sharply sensed that something was wrong and immediately asked:
"Sister Zhiwei, did something happen?"
"ćYao Qingć, I'll explain it to you when we have time." Hearing the urgency in Chen Ling's tone, ćSu Zhiweić immediately spoke up, "You go back first. Don't come here for a while, understand?"
With that, ćSu Zhiweić gave Chen Ling a slight nod, and the group immediately headed toward the street outside.
ćYao Qingć was stunned for a moment before hurriedly chasing after them. "Sister Zhiwei, if you're looking for a safe place, why not come to our house! Our house is absolutely safe, and we have plenty of empty rooms. Settling down definitely won't be a problem... My ćGrandmotherć hasn't seen you in a long time either, she really misses you."
ćSu Zhiweić froze, seriously considering the offer. Then she looked at Chen Ling, seemingly seeking his opinion.
"Where is your house?" Chen Ling asked.
"Quite far. About seventy or eighty kilometers from here? It's basically on the other side of ćGusuć."
"Seventy or eighty kilometers..."
Chen Ling thought seriously. This distance was undoubtedly outside the ćSky Wolfć's hunting range, but it wasn't completely leaving ćGusuć either. This meant that while settling down ćYang Xiaoć and the others, he could secretly change his appearance, return here to monitor the situation, and confirm ćNie Yuć's movements. It was the perfect golden distance he had envisioned.
"That works." Chen Ling immediately nodded.
Although ćSu Zhiweić didn't understand the situation, she still trusted Chen Ling. She then turned her head and said to ćYao Qingć:
"Then let's go pay a visit to ćElder Xiaoć..."
"Alright!" Hearing that ćSu Zhiweić was willing to return with him, ćYao Qingć's eyes instantly lit up. He was as excited as a child. "My car is parked right at the entrance! Follow me!"
ćYao Qingć rushed off like a gust of wind toward the other side of the street, saying he would go open the doors and turn on the air conditioning first. Looking at the youth's retreating figure, ćYang Xiaoć asked doubtfully:
"Doctor Su, this ćElder Xiaoć you mentioned is..."
"Have you heard of ćSu Embroideryć?" ćSu Zhiweić explained as they walked. "One of the Four Great Embroideries, the historical heritage of ćGusuć, and also a national Intangible Cultural Heritage...
ćYao Qingć's ćGrandmotherć is this generation's inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage. Their family manages an entire intangible cultural heritage museum and holds a quite prominent status in cultural circles."
ćSu Zhiweić paused for a moment and added,
"However, ćElder Xiaoć is already getting on in years... Barring any accidents, ćYao Qingć will be the next generation's inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage."
"Intangible cultural heritage inheritor..." Chen Ling looked at the figure of the youth skipping away. The scene he had just witnessed surfaced in his mind, and he fell into deep thought.
ćSu Zhiweić looked down at the exquisite gift box in her hands. After a moment of hesitation, she opened one corner of it.
Inside the box was a meticulously mounted hanging scroll. The ćPicture Frameć was entirely black, seemingly crafted from expensive wood.
Within the frame, countless delicate silk threads intertwined with one another. The vibrant colors resembled spreading ink, outlining a natural and vivid picture... There were the grayish-white cottages of Jiangnan, the gurgling flowing river, the misty rain of Jiangnan as fine as needles, and the emerald willows swaying gently in the wind along the banks.
In the corner of the ćSu Embroideryć scroll, two lines of neat, clear text were inscribed:
August 9, 2024, Gifted by ćYao Qingć to Sister Zhiwei:
āāććRed Dustćć.